


Valued

by Beth Harker (Beth_Harker)



Category: Newsies (1992)
Genre: Canon Era, Domestic, M/M, Post canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-29
Updated: 2014-06-29
Packaged: 2019-09-29 20:01:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17210003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beth_Harker/pseuds/Beth%20Harker
Summary: Blink and Mush relaxing at home together after a long day at work.





	Valued

Some nights Mush and Blink got home at nearly the same time. A lot of nights Blink was earlier, because Mush got paid overtime if he stuck around the factory, and Blink didn’t. Today Mush was the first to arrive back at their little apartment, because even if the paint they used at work did nasty things to his hands, eyes and lungs, his boss was a decent enough guy, and noticed sometimes when his workers were struggling.

The boss had even let Mush go home early enough that he felt almost fine by the time Blink came in. Mush had been flopped over on his stomach in bed since three o’clock, and it’d been at least fifteen minutes since he’d felt sick at all. Blink shut the door behind him, and pushed his hands down Mush’s back, before lying down next to Mush in the same position. Mush smiled, and Blink smiled right back. 

“How was work, Kid?” Mush asked.

“Good to have you here at the end of it,” was Blink’s answer. He smelled like sawdust and sweat. Lately he’d been sawing planks of wood that were being used to make railroads. Mush found himself leaning in closer to breathe him in. It was a lot better than that time that Blink had tried his hand at mucking out the sewers, not that Mush had minded it that much then. 

Blink groaned, “Don’t ever want to move again,” he said. “Everything’s tired. Even my teeth is tired.” 

“ ’Least we can stay here ‘till mornin” Mush suggested. 

“Mmm,” was Blinks only response. Mush guessed Blink was asleep then, or would be in a couple of minutes, so Mush stretched out his arms and closed his eyes, ready to settle in for the night. He hadn’t eaten yet, or even taken off his belt and shoes, and he hadn’t made Blink do those things yet either, but he didn’t feel much need to. Everything already felt alright without any of that stuff.

At first Mush knew that Blink wasn’t asleep because he hadn’t started to snore. Later, Mush knew that Blink wasn’t asleep, because he could feel Blink’s calloused hands on the small of his back, pushing up his shirt. 

“You’se all spattered with that paint of yours,” Blink said. Mush rolled over and sat up so that Blink could finish getting the shirt up over his head. 

“Hey Blink,” Mush asked, “You think the paint hurts the kids who play with those toys we make any?” 

“Nah,” Blink answered, passing Mush’s shirt back and forth in his hands, “It only bothers you when it’s wet, right?” 

“Yeah,” Mush agreed. Blink was probably right… more than probably right. He did have Mush’s shirt after all, and there was paint on the shirt so… probably there was nothing to worry about.

“There was a mouse at work today,” Mush said.

“Bet you named it.” 

Mush frowned, “Robbie stomped on it. Said it was poisonous. Ain’t never heard of a poisonous mouse before. Even if it was, didn’t mean it was gonna be poisonous to us.” 

“Mice ain’t poisonous,” Blink agreed. 

“It wasn’t even bothering nobody. Just scuttling around.” 

Blink frowned for a minute, then bumped his shoulder against Mush’s, and that was a nice feeling, because Blink was good, and Blink was his friend.

“Some of the guys at work got into a fight today,” Blink said. “Started swinging those wooden planks we make at each other. Foreman made us all stay later to make up for it, seein’ as they broke them and all.” 

“Good thing you wasn’t fighting,” Mush said. Blink just laughed at that; a lot of other times he’d been the one fighting.

They were quiet for a bit after that. Blink got bored of playing with Mush’s shirt and tossed it into the corner of the room. Mush kicked off his shoes and lay down again.

Mush hadn’t had Blink kiss him a lot of times, probably no more than seven or eight times all together, but it didn’t surprise Mush any when Blink leaned over him and started to do just that. It felt like something they’d been doing for years, and not just every once in a while over the course of the last two months. Even the first time it hadn’t felt strange. Mush hadn’t been expecting it then, maybe, but it had felt warm and homelike, not a thing like the time a pretty girl had kissed Mush at a bar and everyone had laughed and said he was as red as a tomato.

“You wanna cook something up for dinner?” Blink asked, when he and Mush were finished kissing. Mush nodded, and stood up after Blink, who was already heading toward the cabinets.

Cooking was what they called making dinner. Actually, there was never any cooking involved. Boots had a job selling fruit these days, and let Blink help himself to anything that was too bruised up or too close to being spoiled to sell. Today “cooking dinner” consisted of cutting the rotten bits off of an apple, dividing up what was left, and grabbing a few pieces of bread and a hunk of salami. 

“I like you a lot Blink,” Mush said, as they were getting their meal ready, because the words had popped into his head, and wouldn’t be of much use to anybody if he didn’t say them. 

“Me too,” was Blink’s amiable reply. He took a bite of their bread, then handed it over to Mush, who also took a bite. 

“And kissin’ with you. That’s good too.” 

Blink broke into a grin. “What do you say we make a habit out of it?” he suggested. “The regular kind.” 

“Yeah,” Mush agreed. “Let’s do that.”


End file.
